Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 317
Lectionary: 317
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| Mk 3:22-30 |
Christ is
mediator of a new covenant:
since a death has taken place
for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant,
those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.
For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,
a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,
that he might now appear before God on our behalf.
Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,
as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary
with blood that is not his own;
if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly
from the foundation of the world.
But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages
to take away sin by his sacrifice.
Just as it is appointed that human beings die once,
and after this the judgment, so also Christ,
offered once to take away the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to take away sin
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.
since a death has taken place
for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant,
those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.
For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,
a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,
that he might now appear before God on our behalf.
Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,
as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary
with blood that is not his own;
if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly
from the foundation of the world.
But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages
to take away sin by his sacrifice.
Just as it is appointed that human beings die once,
and after this the judgment, so also Christ,
offered once to take away the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to take away sin
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.
Responsorial Psalm PS 98:1,
2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6
R. (1a) Sing
to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Gospel
Mk 3:22-30
The
scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus,
“He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and
“By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”
Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
“How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”
For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
“He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and
“By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”
Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,
“How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”
For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
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Meditation:"All sins will be
forgiven except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit"
When danger lurks what kind of protection do you seek?
Jesus came to free us from the greatest danger of all – the corrupting
force of evil which destroys us from within and makes us slaves to sin and
Satan (John 8:34). Evil is not an impersonal force that just happens. It has a
name and a face and it seeks to master every heart and soul on the face of the
earth (1 Peter 5:8-9). Scripture identifies the Evil One by many names,
'Satan', 'Be-el'zebul – the prince of demons', the 'Devil', the 'Deceiver', the
'Father of Lies', and 'Lucifier', the fallen angel who broke rank with God and
established his own army and kingdom in opposition to God. Jesus declared that
he came to overthrow the power of Satan and his kingdom (John 12:31). Jesus'
numerous exorcisms brought freedom to many who were troubled and oppressed by
the work of evil spirits. Jesus himself encountered personal opposition and
battle with Satan when he was put to the test in the wilderness just before his
public ministry (Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:1). He overcame the Evil One through his
obedience to the will of his Father.
Some of the Jewish leaders reacted vehemently to
Jesus' healings and exorcisms and they opposed him with malicious slander. How
could Jesus get the power and authority to release individuals from Satan's
influence and control? They assumed that he had to be in league with Satan.
They attributed his power to Satan rather than to God. Jesus asserts that no
kingdom divided against itself can survive for long. We have witnessed enough
civil wars in our own time to prove the destructive force at work here for the
annihilation of whole peoples and their land. If Satan lends his power against
his own forces then he is finished. Cyril of Alexandria, a 5th century church
father explains the force of Jesus' argument:
Kingdoms are established by
the fidelity of subjects and the obedience of those under the royal scepter.
Houses are established when those who belong to them in no way whatsoever
thwart one another but, on the contrary, agree in will and deed. I suppose it
would establish the kingdom too of Beelzebub, had he determined to abstain from
everything contrary to himself. How then does Satan cast out Satan? It follows
then that devils do not depart from people on their own accord but retire
unwillingly. “Satan,” he says, “does not fight with himself.” He does not
rebuke his own servants. He does not permit himself to injure his own
armorbearers. On the contrary, he helps his kingdom. “It remains for you to
understand that I crush Satan by divine power.” [Commentary on Luke, Homily 80]
Jesus asserted his authority
to cast out demons as a clear demonstration of the reign of God. God's power is
clearly at work in the exorcisms which Jesus performed and they give evidence
that God's kingdom has come.
What kind of spiritual danger or harm should we avoid
at all costs? Jesus used the illustration of a strong man whose house and
possessions were kept secure. How could such a person be overtaken and robbed
of his goods except by someone who is stronger than himself? Satan, who is our
foe and the arch-enemy of God, is stronger than us. Unless we are clothed in
God's strength, we cannot withstand Satan with our own human strength. What does
Satan wish to take from us – our faith and confidence in God and our readiness
to follow God's commandments. Satan is a rebel and a liar. Satan can only have
power or dominion over us if we listen to his lies and succumb to his will
which is contrary to the will of God. Jesus makes it clear that there are no
neutral parties in this world. We are either for Jesus or against him, for the
kingdom of God or against it. There are ultimately only two kingdoms in
opposition to one another – the kingdom of God's light and truth and the
kingdom of darkness and deception under the rule of Satan. If we disobey God's
word, we open to door to the power of sin and Satan's influence in our lives.
If we want to live in true freedom from the power of sin and Satan, then our
"house" – our mind and heart and whatever we allow to control our
appetites and desires – must be occupied and ruled by Jesus Christ where he is
enthroned as Lord and Savior. Do you know the peace and security of a life
submitted to God and to his Word?
What is the unforgivable sin which Jesus warns us to
avoid? Jesus knows that his disciples will be tested and he assures them that
the Holy Spirit will give them whatever grace and help they need in their time
of adversity. He warns them, however, that it's possible to spurn the grace of
God and to fall into apostasy (giving up the faith) out of cowardice or
disbelief. Why is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit reprehensible? Blasphemy
consists in uttering against God, inwardly or outwardly, words of hatred,
reproach, or defiance. It's contrary to the respect due God and his holy name.
Jesus speaks of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit as the unforgivable sin.
Jesus spoke about this sin immediately after the scribes and Pharisees had
attributed his miracles to the work of the devil instead of to God. A sin can
only be unforgivable if repentance is impossible. If someone repeatedly closes
their eyes to God, shuts their ears to his voice, and reject his word, they
bring themselves to a point where they can no longer recognize God when he can
be seen and heard. They become spiritually blind-sighted and speak of
"evil as good and good as evil" (Isaiah 5:20).
To fear such a state of sin and spiritual blindness,
however, signals that one is not dead to God and is conscious of the need for
God's grace, mercy, and help. There are no limits to the mercy of God, but
anyone who refuses to acknowledge and confess their sins and to ask God for
forgiveness, spurns God's generous offer of mercy, pardon, grace, and healing. Through
their own stubborn pride and wilfullness, they reject God, refuse his grace and
help to turn away from sin, and reject the transforming power of the Holy
Spirit to heal and restore them to wholeness. God always gives sufficient grace
and help to all who humbly call upon him. Giving up on God and refusing to turn
away from sin and disbelief results from pride and the loss of hope in God.
What is the basis of our hope and confidence in God?
Through Jesus' death on the cross and his victory over the grave when he rose
again on the third day, Satan has been defeated and death has been overcome. We
now share in Christ's victory over sin and Satan and receive adoption as God's
sons and daughters. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Lord enables us to
live a new life of love and freedom from slavery to sin. The Lord Jesus is our
refuge and strength because he makes his home with us (John 15:4) and gives us
the power and help of the Holy Spirit. Do you take refuge in the Lord and allow
him to be the Ruler of your life?
"Lord
Jesus, you are my hope and salvation. Be the ruler of my heart and the master
of my home. May there be nothing in my life that is not under your
lordship."
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 Identity Confusion |
|
Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest and
doctor of the Church
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|
Mark 3:22-30
The scribes who had
come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By
the prince of demons he drives out demons.” Summoning them, he began to speak
to them in parables, "How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is
divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided
against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen
up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he
first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. Amen, I say to
you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin." For they had said, "He has an
unclean spirit."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that
you are the source of all goodness. I know that your goodness is both a challenge
and a promise. I trust that your goodness will envelop me if I allow myself
to be found by you. I love you for wanting to fight the battle against evil
for my sake.
Petition: Lord, help me not to be afraid of the battle
against evil.
1. Not Indifferent: With Jesus on earth, another world
becomes evident around us: the world of evil spirits. Jesus has come to take
control of the kingdom. The devils are in a panic and begin to lose ground.
Jesus is a threat to evil. His goodness, truth and holiness are capable of
putting the devils into submission. When Christ takes a stronger hold on my
life, things begin to change. Do I let Christ challenge evil in my heart? In
the world around me?
2. Not One of Them: Jesus brings change. But change is not
evil per se. The change that Jesus brings is good,
since he comes to put demons in their place, bringing about good. This
awakening of the good worries the devil. The conquest over evil is not always
done in peace and tranquility. Does the spiritual opposition I face as I try
to overcome evil in my life cause me to hesitate in the fight or to wish that
Jesus and his teachings would not be so demanding? Do I realize that facing
difficulties is a sign of growth in Christian authenticity? Do I let the
goodness of Christ radically define my life? Even in the face of opposition?
3. Only Good: Think of the joy that people experienced
when Jesus freed them from the power of the Evil One. Think of the joy we
feel after making a good confession, attending a good retreat or progressing
in virtue. Jesus comes into our life to bring the joy of freedom from evil.
He is God’s goodness made flesh. Do I rejoice to have Christ as my friend? Do
I try to listen to his teachings with a willing heart, thankful for the
chance I have to abide in God’s heart by living the life of grace? What an
amazing friend I have! I can trust in his power to lead me along the path of
life.
Conversation with Christ: Christ, I know that
you are more powerful than evil. Help me to face up to evil in my life, encouraged
by your friendship and strength. In your name Lord, I will walk with
confidence.
Resolution: I will do something to share my faith with
others today.
|
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MONDAY,
JANUARY 28
MARK 3:22-30
(Hebrews 9:15, 24-28; Psalm 98)
KEY VERSE: "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand" (v 24).
READING: When Jesus returned to Capernaum, large crowds gathered around him making it impossible for him and his disciples to eat. Some scribes from Jerusalem charged him with performing exorcisms by the power of "Beelzebul" ('lord of the lofty dwelling,' the pagan god Baal of Syria). Jesus described the folly of a divided kingdom. If a nation was torn by civil war, it could not stand. Neither could a family withstand internal strife. Similarly, if Satan worked against himself, his domain would eventually collapse. Jesus was the "strong man" (v 27) who plundered Satan's household. Satan's defenses had been breached, and one mightier than he had arrived, and the conquest of Satan had begun. Anyone who declared that Jesus was in league with the king of the demons was guilty of blaspheming the Holy Spirit who was at work in Jesus.
REFLECTING: Am I a source of unity or a cause of discord in my family and community?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, reconcile any divisions in my life.
MARK 3:22-30
(Hebrews 9:15, 24-28; Psalm 98)
KEY VERSE: "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand" (v 24).
READING: When Jesus returned to Capernaum, large crowds gathered around him making it impossible for him and his disciples to eat. Some scribes from Jerusalem charged him with performing exorcisms by the power of "Beelzebul" ('lord of the lofty dwelling,' the pagan god Baal of Syria). Jesus described the folly of a divided kingdom. If a nation was torn by civil war, it could not stand. Neither could a family withstand internal strife. Similarly, if Satan worked against himself, his domain would eventually collapse. Jesus was the "strong man" (v 27) who plundered Satan's household. Satan's defenses had been breached, and one mightier than he had arrived, and the conquest of Satan had begun. Anyone who declared that Jesus was in league with the king of the demons was guilty of blaspheming the Holy Spirit who was at work in Jesus.
REFLECTING: Am I a source of unity or a cause of discord in my family and community?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, reconcile any divisions in my life.
Note:
Abraham Lincoln used Jesus' quotation in his House Divided speech against
slavery. "A nation that is half free is not free."
Memorial of Thomas
Aquinas, priest and doctor of the Church
Thomas Aquinas was born in the family castle in Lombardy near Naples. He joined the mendicant Dominican friars in 1244. He studied in Paris from 1245-1248 under Saint Albert the Great and was ordained in 1250 and taught theology at University of Paris. Thomas won his doctorate, and taught in several Italian cities. He was recalled by the University of Paris in 1269, then to Naples in 1272 where he was appointed regent of studies while working on the Summa Theologica. On December 6, 1273 he experienced a divine revelation that so enraptured him that he abandoned the Summa saying it and his other writing were so much straw in the wind compared to the reality of the divine glory. He died four months later while en route to the Council of Lyons. His works have influenced the thinking of the Church ever since as they systematized her great thoughts and teaching, and combined Greek wisdom and scholarship methods with the truth of Christianity. Pope Leo VIII commanded that his teachings be studied by all theology students. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1567.
"Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you." - Saint Thomas Aquinas
www.daily-word-of-life.com
Sing to the Lord a
new song, for he has done marvellous deeds
There is a point at
which logic runs dry and faith is nourished by a certain blind trust.Jesus is arguing with scribes who seem to have raised a logical objection to his authority. Jesus’ reply is not in text-book language. He doesn’t present watertight proofs but rather uses the picturesque language and imagery of parables. He leaves us to respond to his colourful teaching with our own totally free, ‘Of course, Lord’, and, ‘A divided kingdom is weak.’
Similarly, the letter to the Hebrews seems to meet the objection, ‘But this Jesus is only one man. Can salvation come through one man?’ The response is a rather bald: ‘Jesus is different.’ Reasoning can go little further. Jesus, free us to respond to you as person to person.
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January 28
St. Thomas Aquinas
(1225-1274)
St. Thomas Aquinas
(1225-1274)
By universal consent, Thomas
Aquinas is the preeminent spokesman of the Catholic tradition of reason and of
divine revelation. He is one of the great teachers of the medieval Catholic
Church, honored with the titles Doctor of the Church and Angelic Doctor.
At five he was given to the
Benedictine monastery at Monte Cassino in his parents’ hopes that he would
choose that way of life and eventually became abbot. In 1239 he was sent to
Naples to complete his studies. It was here that he was first attracted to
Aristotle’s philosophy.
By 1243, Thomas abandoned his
family’s plans for him and joined the Dominicans, much to his mother’s dismay.
On her order, Thomas was captured by his brother and kept at home for over a
year.
Once free, he went to Paris
and then to Cologne, where he finished his studies with Albert the Great. He
held two professorships at Paris, lived at the court of Pope Urban IV, directed
the Dominican schools at Rome and Viterbo, combated adversaries of the
mendicants, as well as the Averroists, and argued with some Franciscans about
Aristotelianism.
His greatest contribution to
the Catholic Church is his writings. The unity, harmony and continuity of faith
and reason, of revealed and natural human knowledge, pervades his writings. One
might expect Thomas, as a man of the gospel, to be an ardent defender of
revealed truth. But he was broad enough, deep enough, to see the whole natural
order as coming from God the Creator, and to see reason as a divine gift to be
highly cherished.
The Summa Theologiae,
his last and, unfortunately, uncompleted work, deals with the whole of Catholic
theology. He stopped work on it after celebrating Mass on December 6, 1273.
When asked why he stopped writing, he replied, “I cannot go on.... All that I
have written seems to me like so much straw compared to what I have seen and
what has been revealed to me.” He died March 7, 1274.
Comment:
We can look to Thomas Aquinas as a towering example of Catholicism in the sense of broadness, universality and inclusiveness. We should be determined anew to exercise the divine gift of reason in us, our power to know, learn and understand. At the same time we should thank God for the gift of his revelation, especially in Jesus Christ.
We can look to Thomas Aquinas as a towering example of Catholicism in the sense of broadness, universality and inclusiveness. We should be determined anew to exercise the divine gift of reason in us, our power to know, learn and understand. At the same time we should thank God for the gift of his revelation, especially in Jesus Christ.
Quote:
“Hence we must say that for the knowledge of any truth whatsoever man needs divine help, that the intellect may be moved by God to its act. But he does not need a new light added to his natural light, in order to know the truth in all things, but only in some that surpasses his natural knowledge” (Summa Theologiae, I-II, 109, 1).
“Hence we must say that for the knowledge of any truth whatsoever man needs divine help, that the intellect may be moved by God to its act. But he does not need a new light added to his natural light, in order to know the truth in all things, but only in some that surpasses his natural knowledge” (Summa Theologiae, I-II, 109, 1).
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Lectio: Mark 3,22-30
Lectio:
Monday, January
28, 2013
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
All-powerful and ever-living God,
direct your love that is within us,
that our efforts in the name of your Son
may bring mankind to unity and peace.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
direct your love that is within us,
that our efforts in the name of your Son
may bring mankind to unity and peace.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Mark 3,22-30
The scribes who had come down from
Jerusalem were saying, 'Beelzebul is in him,' and, 'It is through the prince of
devils that he drives devils out.'
So he called them to him and spoke to them in parables, 'How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot last. And if a household is divided against itself, that household can never last. Now if Satan has rebelled against himself and is divided, he cannot last either -- it is the end of him. But no one can make his way into a strong man's house and plunder his property unless he has first tied up the strong man. Only then can he plunder his house. 'In truth I tell you, all human sins will be forgiven, and all the blasphemies ever uttered; but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, but is guilty of an eternal sin.' This was because they were saying, 'There is an unclean spirit in him.'
So he called them to him and spoke to them in parables, 'How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot last. And if a household is divided against itself, that household can never last. Now if Satan has rebelled against himself and is divided, he cannot last either -- it is the end of him. But no one can make his way into a strong man's house and plunder his property unless he has first tied up the strong man. Only then can he plunder his house. 'In truth I tell you, all human sins will be forgiven, and all the blasphemies ever uttered; but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, but is guilty of an eternal sin.' This was because they were saying, 'There is an unclean spirit in him.'
3) Reflection
• The conflict grows. In the Gospel of Mark there is a
progressive sequence. In the measure in which the Good News advances and people
accept it, in the same measure grows also the resistance on the part of the
religious authority. The conflict began to grow and to influence all the groups
of persons. For example, the relatives of Jesus thought that he was out of his
mind. (Mk 3, 20-21), and the Scribes who had come from Jerusalem thought that
he was possessed, that Beelzebul was in him (Mk 3, 22).
• The conflict with the authority. The Scribes slandered against him. They said that Beelzebul was in him and that it was through the prince of devils that he drove out the devils. They had come from Jerusalem, about 120 kilometres distance, to keep an eye on or watch Jesus’ behaviour. They wanted to defend tradition against the novelty that Jesus taught to the people (Mk 7, 1). They thought that his teaching was against the good doctrine. The response given by Jesus had three parts.
- First Part: The comparison with a divided family. Jesus uses the comparison of the divided family and of the divided kingdom to denounce the absurdity of the slander. To say that Jesus casts out or drives out the devils with the help of the prince of the devils is to deny the evidence, what is evident. It is like saying that water is dry, and that the sun is darkness. The doctors of Jerusalem slandered, because they did not know how to explain the benefits worked by Jesus in behalf of the people. They were afraid to lose their leadership.
- Second Part: The comparison of the strong man. Jesus compares the devil to a strong man. Nobody, unless he is a strong person, will be able to take away the house from a strong man, to rob it. Jesus is the strongest of all. And this is why he succeeds to enter the house and to dominate and overcome the strong man. He succeeds in driving out the devils. Jesus wins over the strong man and robs his house, that is, he liberates the persons who were under the power of the evil one. The Prophet Isaiah had already used the same comparison to describe the coming of the Messiah (Is 49, 24-25). Luke adds that the expulsion of the devil is an evident sign of the coming of the Kingdom (Lk 11, 20).
- Third part: The sin against the Holy Spirit. All sins are forgiven, except the sin against the Holy Spirit. Which is the sin against the Holy Spirit? It is to say: “The spirit which impels Jesus to cast out or drive out the devil, comes precisely from the devil!” The one who speaks in this way is incapable to receive pardon. Why? Can the one who covers his eyes guess? He cannot! The one who closes his mouth, can he eat? He cannot. The one who does not close the umbrella of slander, can he receive the rain of pardon? He cannot! Pardon would pass by his side but would not reach him. It is not that God does not want to forgive. God always wants to forgive. But it is the sinner who refuses to receive pardon!
• The conflict with the authority. The Scribes slandered against him. They said that Beelzebul was in him and that it was through the prince of devils that he drove out the devils. They had come from Jerusalem, about 120 kilometres distance, to keep an eye on or watch Jesus’ behaviour. They wanted to defend tradition against the novelty that Jesus taught to the people (Mk 7, 1). They thought that his teaching was against the good doctrine. The response given by Jesus had three parts.
- First Part: The comparison with a divided family. Jesus uses the comparison of the divided family and of the divided kingdom to denounce the absurdity of the slander. To say that Jesus casts out or drives out the devils with the help of the prince of the devils is to deny the evidence, what is evident. It is like saying that water is dry, and that the sun is darkness. The doctors of Jerusalem slandered, because they did not know how to explain the benefits worked by Jesus in behalf of the people. They were afraid to lose their leadership.
- Second Part: The comparison of the strong man. Jesus compares the devil to a strong man. Nobody, unless he is a strong person, will be able to take away the house from a strong man, to rob it. Jesus is the strongest of all. And this is why he succeeds to enter the house and to dominate and overcome the strong man. He succeeds in driving out the devils. Jesus wins over the strong man and robs his house, that is, he liberates the persons who were under the power of the evil one. The Prophet Isaiah had already used the same comparison to describe the coming of the Messiah (Is 49, 24-25). Luke adds that the expulsion of the devil is an evident sign of the coming of the Kingdom (Lk 11, 20).
- Third part: The sin against the Holy Spirit. All sins are forgiven, except the sin against the Holy Spirit. Which is the sin against the Holy Spirit? It is to say: “The spirit which impels Jesus to cast out or drive out the devil, comes precisely from the devil!” The one who speaks in this way is incapable to receive pardon. Why? Can the one who covers his eyes guess? He cannot! The one who closes his mouth, can he eat? He cannot. The one who does not close the umbrella of slander, can he receive the rain of pardon? He cannot! Pardon would pass by his side but would not reach him. It is not that God does not want to forgive. God always wants to forgive. But it is the sinner who refuses to receive pardon!
4) Personal questions
• The religious authorities close themselves up in
themselves and deny the evidence. Has this ever happened to me, that I close
myself in self before the evidence of facts?
• Slander is the arm or weapon of the weak. Have you had experience on this point?
• Slander is the arm or weapon of the weak. Have you had experience on this point?
5) Concluding prayer
The whole wide world has seen the saving
power of our God.
Acclaim Yahweh, all the earth,
burst into shouts of joy! (Ps 98,3-4)
Acclaim Yahweh, all the earth,
burst into shouts of joy! (Ps 98,3-4)
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